curry

curry [Malayalam], condiment much used in India and elsewhere in Asia and the Middle East, in combination with rice, meat, and a variety of other dishes. It is compounded of such spices as turmeric, fenugreek, cloves, cumin, ginger, black and hot red pepper, and coriander. When the pungent leaf of an Indian tree of the rue family is included, the curry powder is used not only as a stimulating flavor, but also for medicinal purposes. Curry paste is made from the slightly acid, jellylike pulp of the tamarind pod, combined with a variety of spices.